Recycled projects rock! So with that in mind i pop-ed into my local thrift store on the way home later last week. I found this awesome yarn, knit into this sad and over sized v-neck sweater. i decided i had to save it, to put the yarn to a proper and much more interesting use.

Here is the sweater as rescued from the Thrift Store

Close up. The Blue is really more green in person, silly camera. 100% Mohair fuzzy goodness

I'd needed a break this morning from work and thought it would be super relaxing to begin ripping out the seaming yarn on the pieces of the sweater. Totally right! Here are the pictures from un-seaming the sweater an removing the neckband to release the pieces:

Before unraveling the body or sleeves i needed to remove the seaming holding the pieces together

To "un-lock" the sleeves from the body i needed to unravel the neck line

All of the sweater pieces

The yarn for the neck seam was attached through to the front panel

Goal is to get a bit done each week. Already i have thoughts of the cutest Jumper ; )

I finally got home tonight with enough drive and focus to pull out the socks i'm working on for my Dad and make some progress. I had completed the heel flap, and there they have sat for over a week. Happy happy day (actually evening), but i was able to turn the heel and start into the foot! YEA! I really love this knitting two at a time thing. During the first disk of Two Towers i was able to get both heels turned and started into the foot. Now i'm at a cruising place that is totally BART friendly again. Yea for BART knitting : )

Last weekend at Lambtown i purchased a BUNCH of roving to get me moving with my drop spinning to ensure that the wheel spinning class won't overwhelm me next month. Unfortunately i've been spending my time drooling over spinning wheels on line. I really need this right? :) It's super hard to justify the $900 when i don't even know where it would go! The house is already super packed, busting at the seams with yarn and fabric. Adding a full time, non-collapsible wheel to the mix may send the boyfriend over the edge...not good thing.

How did i get myself into this mess? Well here are pictures of the pretty pretty pretty things that call to me to buy a spinning wheel

So i decided to knit my Dad socks for his birthday, a few days before the actual date knowing full well that i wouldn't and couldn't make the deadline. They have become belated B-day AND Fathers Day socks. At least now i can say that i am nearly 50% of the way done with "the socks...". It's a pretty basic pattern repeat through the leg - Dropped Stitch Rib Socks. The heel directions didn't make any sense so i'm going with my standard heel flat on the back needles. No crazy positioned heel for my Dad, sorry. The finished product looks nearly the same, it's just not in the same odd leg position that the original pattern called for. Here is da progress...

I've actually been pretty productive during all of this travel. Here is a by Project run down for everything...

Star Wars Club Covers - Finished in the airport after landing in Kansas City on the way to the Bash. (Talk about barley makin it!)

Mom's Socks - Almost 50% done. I'm getting much faster at cabling as i move through this project. I love learning new things. These would probably be further if they didn't require the book for the pattern. These were NOT brought out on the road.

Dad's Socks - These were started and worked to about 50% completion during the Bash/Golf Tournament. There are even photo's of me knitting in the Golf Kart. These were worked for a week, tested, found to be too small, ripped out at 40% to start over, and then the rest of the week knitting at all times to try to make up for lost time. This basic rib pattern knits up SUPER fast. I'm enjoying these...but think they make be a bit bright in color for Dad.

Binary Scarf - This was started before i took off on my wild adventure. Unfortunately this also requires concentration and a pattern; so it's slow going... but it looks cool so far

Jason has a family reunion every july in one of the hottest and stickiest places in the US...Missouri. Every year everyone gets together and there is a golf tournament. This year i escaped for a bit to check out some of the local yarn shops in Springfield and Rogersville (about 20 minutes from Springfield).

The expedition started at She's Crafty in Springfield. Nice woman working the shop and some cute buttons, but a poor yarn selection. From there i drove over to Simply Fibers (also in Springfield) and found a much better selection. Including Hemp! There's not much hemp even in hippy town Berkeley. Again, sweet people working in the shop and the other customer in the shop was also from the Bay Area, wacky coiendience. Next it out to One City Market in Rogersville. This won for best yarn store in the area. It was better then some of the yarn stores i have locally! Amazing hospitality from the woman running the shop AND the five women just hanging out knitting. Great selection and colors. Super cute inside, crazy old house! Check out the pictures to see the back "sock" room that looked like an old diner or sweets shop. I was invited to stay and knit...but i knew it was just about time for dinner with the family, so i packed up all of my purchases and made my way back to Marshfield for potatoes and cheese...mmmmm...

I've got photos from a yarn crawl in Missouri and the cow PJ's on_the_brother to upload and share...and if i wasn't exhausted i'd be doin it. Tomorrow i am heading out to Dixon for Lambtown USA. More pictures will be taken at the wonderful fiber festival. I promise pictures and details about the yarn goodness in Missouri before the end of the weekend. Until then here is me in my shawl in Las Vegas last month : )

About Me

I love music (mostly good things, but i have my lapses of pity ; ), movies, and books mostly sci fi and other fantasy style fiction. There is also some weird obsession lately with non-fiction about the 1800's through 1940's. Most of my time is spent between work and hangin out with friends. Other small bits of spare time include making things like period/fantasy costuming, spinning yarn, and drinkin tea (i love tea). I enjoy hiking and urban exploration, who doesn't love a good cemetery on a friday night ; )